Four Saints in Three Acts

"Four Saints in Three Acts" is an opera by American composer Virgil Thomson with a libretto by Gertrude Stein. Written in 1927-8, it contains about twenty saints, and is in at least four acts.

The subject was agreed on at Thomson's suggestion and the libretto as delivered can be read in Stein's collected works. The opera focuses on two sixteenth century Spanish saints—the former mercenary Ignatius of Loyola and the mystic Teresa of Avila—as well as their colleagues, real and imagined: St. Plan, St. Settlement, St Plot, St. Chavez etc. Thomson decided to divide St. Teresa's role between two singers, "St. Teresa I" and "St. Teresa II", and added the master and mistress of ceremonies (Compère and Commere- literally, the "godparents") to sing Stein's stage directions.

ynopsis

After the chorus sings a prelude, the first act takes place at the Ávila cathedral; it is titled "St. Teresa half indoors and half out of doors". Act two, "Might it be mountains if it were not Barcelona", involves a telescope and glimpses of a heavenly mansion. Act three, "St. Ignatius and one of two literally" is a picnic and contains Ignatius' famous aria "Pigeons on the grass alas". It ends with a tango-like ballet. The brief fourth act ("The sisters and saints reassembled and re-enacting why they went away to stay") is set at the garden of a monastery. Before the curtain falls the Compère announces "Last act" and the chorus replies "Which is a fact".

Cast

The cast of the original production included:
* Edward Matthews as "St Ignatius"(baritone)
* Beatrice Robinson-Wayne as "St Teresa I" (soprano)
* Bruce Howard as "St Teresa II" (contralto)
* Embry Bonner as "St. Chavez" (tenor)"St. Settlement" (soprano)"St. Plan"
* Abner Dorsey as "the Compère" (bass)
* Altonnell Hines as "the Commere" (mezzo)
* Ruby Greene
* Inez Matthews (Edward Matthew's sister)
* Charles Holland
* The Eva Jessye Choir, lead by Eva Jessye

Productions

First staged at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford (Feb. 7, 1934), [Watson 1998Fact|date=July 2007 ] "Four Saints in Three Acts" opened on Broadway on February 20, 1934. The opera was notable in that it defied many traditional aspects of opera. Stein's libretto focused more on an affinity for the sounds of words than on presenting a narrative. Thomson's music was unconventional in its very simplicity.

The fanciful sets of the first production , designed by artist Florine Stettheimer, included such things as cellophane backdrops, and the costumes (also Stettheimer's) were of colorful lace, silk and taffeta. Frederick Ashton provided the choreography (after Balanchine turned down the job). Also considered unusual was the portrayal of the European saints by an all-black cast, for which there was no precedent in American history.These unconventional elements led to a successful and well-received first production.Fact|date=July 2007 While critics were divided, audiences accepted the fantasy world created by the singers who vividly conveyed the words and melodies given to their saintly characters.

The opera would be performed later as a concert oratorio such as the 1942 and 1947 radio broadcasts. Stage performances were produced in 1952 and 1973. In 1981, a New York concert version was performed for Thomson's eighty-fifth birthday celebration. For this performance, Betty Allen, Gwendolyn Bradley, William Brown, Clamma Dale, Benjamin Matthews, Florence Quivar and Arthur Thompson sang the principal parts.

There have also been stagings by Robert Wilson and Mark Morris (a choreographic staging).

References

* Southern, Eileen. 1997. "The Music of Black Americans: A History". 3rd edition. New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-03843-2 [cloth] ISBN 0-393-97141-4 [pbk]
* Tommasini, Anthony. 1998. "Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle". New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-31858-3
* Watson, Steven. 1998. "Prepare for Saints: Gertrude Stein, Virgil Thomson, and the Mainstreaming of American Modernism". New York: Random House. ISBN 0-67944-139-5